


Nobody Fights Alone

by AnotherSPNfanfic



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Buck’s twin sister, Chronic Illness, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:20:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24264217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherSPNfanfic/pseuds/AnotherSPNfanfic
Summary: Eddie can feel her pulling away. He thinks she’s planning to leave him. When he finds out the truth it will change their whole world.
Relationships: Eddie Diaz/Reader
Comments: 26
Kudos: 41
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Co-written with spnirwin on tumblr! Go check her out over there!

You were standing in the kitchen washing the breakfast dishes as Eddie buzzed around you. He was shoving the things he would need for his shift at the 118 into his duffel bag. Everything seemed to be scattered in every corner of your shared apartment. 

“So, do you have anything planned for today?” he asked, pausing to glance up at you. 

“Not really,” you shrugged. “I might be grabbing lunch with Kelly but that’s it.”

“You should take some time to do something nice for yourself then. You've seemed a bit down lately and you’re always working so hard taking care of things around here. You deserve it.”

“Oh, my god, you sound like Evan,” you said, rolling your eyes. “He’s always saying I give too much, that I don’t take enough time for myself.”

“He’s right,” Eddie chuckled. “As your twin, he knows you better than anyone so you should probably listen to him. And me, because I know what I’m talking about, too,” he added, almost as an afterthought. 

You smiled and shook your head at him in response. Eddie left the room, presumably to try and figure out what was taking Christopher so long to get ready for school. As soon as he disappeared from sight, the smile dropped straight off of your face. You would be doing something for yourself today, but it was neither fun nor enjoyable. In fact, it was absolutely petrifying. 

A few minutes later Eddie reentered the room, Christopher in tow. “Go ahead and grab your backpack, buddy. We gotta go,” Eddie said as he walked over to you.

Your hands were stuck in the soapy, water filled sink when he approached you from the side. He rested one hand on your hip and looked at you earnestly. 

“Seriously, please take some time for yourself today. Even if it’s just to walk down the street and grab a coffee.”

“I will,” you said, nodding in agreement. He smiled and pressed a quick kiss to your lips, satisfied with your response.

Christopher had finished getting his things for school and was now waiting patiently for his dad. Eddie gave your hip a quick squeeze before crossing the apartment, grabbing his duffle, and meeting Christopher at the door. 

“Love you!” they both called out as they opened the door and stepped through. 

“Love you, too,” you called back, the door slamming shut behind them with an eerie finality. 

—

You looked around the doctor’s office, your leg bouncing up and down uncontrollably. To say you were nervous was an understatement. This was your second appointment this week. You had gone in for your yearly check-up, and while performing your routine breast exam the doctor had found a lump. Breast cancer was rare in women your age, but not an impossibility.

The door in front of you opened and a nurse stepped through, calling your name. You stood and followed her through the door and back to an exam room. Your nerves were skyrocketing when the doctor finally came and got you for your mammogram. When it was over, she returned you to the exam room where you waited again, this time for the results.

The waiting was the hardest part. You had waited three days between appointments, one hour in the waiting room, and now twenty minutes for your exam results. This was potentially just the beginning of the waiting, and it was already excruciating.

The doctor entered the room with a grim look on her face. She hadn’t liked what she had seen on the mammogram and wanted to do a biopsy. You would need to make an appointment with a specialist in a different part of the practice for a later date, but she wanted you to begin preparing now. Your head spun as you listened to her describe the procedure. It was pretty non-invasive, just a needle removing some cells that would be sent off to a lab and tested. You would be able to go home immediately after with slight swelling and minimal pain. The results would come back four days later. You could make your appointment with the secretary on the way out.

You walked back down the hallway toward the waiting room in a daze, unsure of how to process the information that had just been thrown at you. The doctor had insisted that there was nothing to worry about yet, but that did nothing to stop the influx of emotions that were currently coursing through your body. You stopped briefly at the front desk and made your next appointment for six days from the current one. Your motions were zombie-like as you exited the doctor’s office and headed home. 

—

You awoke the next morning feeling unsteady. You were having trouble processing. So you decided to pretend like everything was fine. 

This is exactly what you were doing when Eddie arrived home from his shift. He walked through the door and found you sitting at the kitchen table, joking with Christopher over chocolate chip pancakes. 

“Hey guys.” He walked over the table, stopping to ruffle Christopher’s hair and press a kiss to the top of your head. You put some pancakes onto his plate as he slid into his chair. 

“You have about five minutes until we have to leave for school,” you said to Christopher. He nodded in response before turning and starting to chatter at Eddie. 

While they talked, you pushed your pancake pieces around on your plate, not at all interested in actually eating them. You were so interested in looking down at your plate that you didn’t notice the small glances Eddie was shooting your way. 

“Alright, kiddo,” you said a few short minutes later. “Time to go.”

Christopher nodded, clearly disappointed, but stood anyway and walked to the counter to get his lunch. 

“I’ll clean this up,” Eddie said, gesturing to the breakfast remnants in front of you.

“Thanks,” you said. You moved to get up and follow Christopher but Eddie’s hand on your arm stopped you.

“Are you okay?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep well last night.” You shot him a small smile and stood up. Eddie’s eyes tracked your back the entire way as you walked toward the front door. 

He sighed as it opened up and closed behind you. The smile that you had attempted to give him hadn’t reached your eyes. Something was wrong. 

—

You ran circles around Eddie for the next six days. Every time he questioned your mood you managed to skirt around it or give some half baked excuse as to why you were acting that way. You knew he was hurt by your behavior, but you didn’t want to tell him anything until you had definitive answers. That way he didn’t have to share in as much of the waiting. It would be easier for him. You didn’t want him to worry if it turned out to be nothing.

You sent him off to his shift with a bright smile on the morning of your biopsy appointment. As you drove to the doctor’s office, you couldn’t help but feel guilty. He deserved better than what you were currently giving him, but at the moment it was all you could manage. 

As soon as you arrived at the doctor’s office, you were whisked away for your biopsy. The procedure was relatively quick with minimal pain. You were slightly tender and swollen, but it wasn’t anything noticeable that would impact the rest of your day. Now, it was time for more waiting. 

You were driving home when your phone rang. When you answered you were slightly surprised to hear Athena’s voice on the other end of the line. 

“Hey girl, you up to anything pressing right now?” she asked. 

You considered her question carefully before responding. “No, I’m just heading home.”

“Well you better turn that car around and head this way. I’m at the station making lunch and I would love it if you would join. I could use some help in the kitchen and I know a couple boys that would love to see you.” 

It was an invitation you couldn’t deny. If you did, you knew she would say something to Eddie or Buck and then they would definitely know something was wrong. 

“I’ll be right over!” You brightened your voice and it rose an octave. 

As you hung up the phone and turned your car around in the direction of the station, you wondered when your life had suddenly become such a lie. 

—

You wandered across the apparatus floor on auto-pilot. All you could think about was the test results you were waiting for.

As you approached the stairs, Buck came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your middle. You startled at the touch and let out a surprised gasp.

He released you instantly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He smiled, apologetically. “What are you doing here?”

You ran your palm across your forehead as you organized your thoughts. “Uh, lunch. Athena called and told me she was cooking for you guys today.”

“Awesome. I think it’s going to be a little while before it’s ready, but she’s upstairs. Eddie was over rolling hoses last I saw him.” He pointed towards the side of the truck as he explained.

“Okay,” you said, turning to head up the stairs.

Buck placed a hand on your shoulder to keep you from turning away. “Are you alright? You seem distracted.”

You plastered a smile on as you nodded. “Yeah. It’s just been a long morning.”

You could see that he didn’t quite believe you but he let it go, for now. You continued up to greet Athena and thank her for the invite.

Eddie walked up next to Buck as you cleared the top step. Buck looked over at him before he looked back up. “Does she seem off to you?”

Eddie frowned. “Yeah, she has been off all week. She didn’t even come say hi to me just now. Did she say anything to you about something going on?”

Buck shook his head. “No, just said it’s been a long morning.”

Eddie sighed as he headed over towards the weight room, deciding to give you some space until lunch was ready.


	2. Chapter 2

Your phone rang, startling you out of your reverie. You were laying on the couch with Eddie, watching a movie on his day off. A quick glance down at your phone confirmed what you both hoped and feared; it was the doctor. 

“I’ll be right back,” you said as you untangled yourself from Eddie and stood up. You walked quickly down the hall, noticing Christopher still coloring in his room. You walked into your bedroom, closing the door softly behind you.

“Hello?”

“Is this Y/N?” they asked.

“Yes,” you confirmed.

“This is Dr. Alexander. Your biopsy results have just come back from the lab. Do you have time today to come in and go over the results?”

“Yes, of course! If you give me about twenty minutes I can be right over.” Your heart was racing as you hung up the phone.

You stepped out of the bedroom and found Eddie sitting up on the couch. He was looking at you, clearly concerned. “Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yep!” you said, slightly overenthusiastically. “That was Evan, he needs my help real quick. Shouldn’t take more than an hour.”

Eddie stood up suddenly, walking quickly towards you. His alarm bells were ringing. You never left the room when Buck called. 

“What does he need? Can I help? Make it go faster?”

“He needs help with this recipe he’s trying to make. No offense, but I don’t think you’ll be a very big help. You aren’t exactly great in the kitchen.” You laughed, trying desperately to keep your voice even. 

You could see the hurt that your words caused. You tried to soften the blow by giving him a quick kiss. Without saying anything more, you walked over to the table by the door, grabbed your keys, and left. 

—

You were once again sitting in the doctor’s office, staring Dr. Alexander down as she delivered the news you had been hoping and praying you would never hear. They had detected malicious cells in your biopsy. You were officially being diagnosed with breast cancer. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, Y/N, have you told anyone about this?” Dr. Alexander was looking at you intently. You knew honesty was your only option. 

“No, I haven’t,” you answered. 

“You really should.” Dr. Alexander’s voice was gentle. She leaned forward before continuing. “The road ahead of you is about to be very tough. You can use all the support you can get.”

“I know,” you sighed. “I just didn’t want to worry anyone until I had some answers.”

“I understand that. But it really is time now.” She gave you a smile as she began describing your treatment plan.

She wanted to start with an MRI to get a clearer picture and make sure there were no other tumors. Then, you would need multiple rounds of chemo spanning the course of several weeks. Afterwards, they would do another MRI to see if the cancer had shrunk. Dr. Alexander was hopeful that it would be that simple. So were you. 

—

Meanwhile, back at your apartment Eddie was pacing. He was trying to figure out what to do about your odd behavior and obvious secret keeping. Giving up on your relationship wasn’t something he was interested in but it also didn’t seem like you were going to allow him the chance to fight for it. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. Confused, he walked over to answer it. He wasn’t expecting anyone and you hadn’t said anything about anyone stopping by. His confusion turned to dismay when he opened the door and Buck was standing in front of him. 

“Hey, sorry to bother you,” Buck said immediately upon the door opening. “I was just bored and wanted to see what you guys were up to. Neither of you answered your phones so I just…” His words trailed off as he noticed the look on Eddie’s face. 

“She isn’t with you?” Eddie asked, voice strained. 

“Y/N? No… what’s going on? Is everything okay?”

Eddie grew agitated, stalking away from the door and tugging at his hair. “This is funny, because about an hour ago your sister left to go see you. She said you called and needed help with some recipe.”

“Uh, no. I mean I’m sure you’ve figured this out by now, but I didn’t call her. I actually haven’t talked to her at all today.” Buck’s level of concern was rising with Eddie’s agitation. 

Eddie spun around to face Buck, a desperate look on his face. “She’s lying to me, man. She’s keeping secrets and I...I think she might be leaving me. Has she said anything to you? Please, I need to know.”

“Eddie, you’re my best friend, but even if she had said anything to me,” Buck shook his head, “you know I couldn’t tell you anything. That being said, she hasn’t said a word. I’ve noticed her acting off lately, too, but trying to pretend she’s fine. I really couldn’t tell you what’s going on.”

“I just don’t know what to do.” Eddie’s voice broke and he dropped his head into his hands. 

“Let me try calling her again,” Buck said, pulling out his phone. 

You were driving home when he called, and you answered on the second ring. Before he spoke he put the phone on speaker so Eddie could listen. 

“Hey, what are you up to?” Buck asked, voice light. 

“Not much, just getting ready to make dinner. Why, what’s up?” You sounded upbeat, happy even. If he hadn’t already known you were lying he never would’ve been able to guess. 

“I was just checking in, seeing how you and Eddie were doing.” He shot Eddie a glance, shrugging his shoulders. “But it seems like you’re busy, so I’ll let you go.”

“Okay,” you replied. “Talk later?”

“Of course. Love you, sis.” If you had been paying better attention you would’ve noticed the sad note in his tone. 

“Love you, too, Ev.” You hung the phone up quickly, giving him no chance to respond even if he had wanted to. 

Buck lowered the phone, shooting Eddie a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. She’s clearly lying to me, too, for some reason. I’m going to go ahead and head out so you two can work this out when she gets home.”

Eddie nodded slightly. “Would you mind taking Christopher with you? He doesn’t need to be here for that conversation.”

“Yeah, of course,” Buck agreed. “I’ll go get him.” He walked down to Christopher’s room and returned a couple minutes later with Christopher and his backpack.

“Thanks, man,” Eddie said, giving Christopher a quick hug.

Buck took in the devastation on Eddie’s face and clapped him on the shoulder before continuing. “Look, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that she has a reason for whatever she’s doing.”

Buck turned and led Christopher out of the apartment, leaving Eddie alone with his thoughts again. 

—

You stopped outside your apartment door and took a deep breath. You were dreading having to tell Eddie. Right now, it still felt like this could be some awful nightmare you were about to wake up from. Telling him would change that.

You finally pushed the door open and found Eddie sitting on the couch. “So, where were you?” he asked before you even had the door closed.

“I told you, I went to see Evan,” you lied, again.

He glared at you for a moment. “You did tell me that.” He nodded. “But, I know that’s not where you were. He was just here and he said he never called you today. So, where were you really?”

Looking down at the floor, you considered how to respond. “You keep telling me to take time for myself. So I took some. What’s the big deal?”

“What’s the big deal?” He mimicked in disbelief. “The big deal is that you felt the need to lie to me, again.”

You knew he was right, but you couldn’t bring yourself to tell him yet. “Can we talk about this later?” You turned to walk down towards the bathroom before he could respond.

“Do not walk away from me!” Eddie yelled as he stood. “You have been doing it for weeks. You can barely even make eye contact with me.” He sighed and ran his hand across his face before continuing more calmly, “If you’re planning to break up with me, then, please, stop dragging it out.”

You turned to face him, silent as you processed his words. You opened and closed your mouth a couple times trying to find the right words. “No. No way. I love you and I’m not planning on going anywhere.”

Relief flashed across his face. “Then what is going on? I need you to talk to me.”

“Yeah, I guess I can’t avoid it much longer anyway.” As you moved to sit on the couch, you took his hand to pull him down beside you. You took a deep breath. “I’m sick,” you blurted out.

He furrowed his brows, “What do you mean? You seem fine.”

You shook your head and a tear rolled down your cheek. “When I had my annual physical a few weeks ago, the doctor found a lump… it’s cancer.”

“No. You don’t know that. They need to run more tests. It could be something else.” He wiped away your tear with his thumb only for more to follow.

You sniffled. “They did them. That’s where I was. The doctor called to have me go in for the biopsy results.” With that, the dam broke and you erupted into a sobbing mess.

Eddie was quick to pull you into a crushing hug. He held you tightly as you cried, as if you might vanish if he let go.

You started to hyperventilate from crying so hard. Eddie pulled away just enough to look into your eyes. “Okay, you have to breathe. Just take a deep breath.” You managed one big gasp with a shaky exhale. “Good, that’s really good,” he said, pulling you back in to rest your head on his chest.

You lost track of how long he sat there just holding you. Neither of you said anything.

Eventually, he decided to break the silence. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? You didn’t need to go through all those tests and appointments alone. Does anyone else know?”

“No, I haven’t told anyone.” You sniffled, glancing up to look at him. You saw tears welled up in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to have to worry if it turned out to be nothing.”

“I knew something was wrong. I shouldn’t have let you slide with those terrible excuses.” He started in a spiral of blaming himself.

“Don’t do that. I wasn’t ready to talk about it,” you said, trying to alleviate his guilt. A fresh wave of panic ran through you. “I’m scared, Eddie.”

He pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Me, too. But it’s going to be okay. You’ll beat this.”

“Oh, god. I have to tell Ev.”


	3. Chapter 3

You were facing down the door to Buck’s apartment, staring at it as if it was going to reach out and bite you. Eddie reached over and took your hand, giving it a small squeeze.

“Are you ready?” he asked. 

“No, but I don’t have a choice,” you responded before raising your hand to knock on the door. 

The previous evening, after you told Eddie about your diagnosis, he had called Buck. He had explained that the two of you had talked but needed some more time alone. Buck offered to have Christopher spend the night with him, and both you and Eddie were infinitely grateful for him in that moment. 

It was now time to pick up Christopher and your nerves were practically shooting through the ceiling. Last night, you had decided that it was time to stop keeping secrets. That meant telling Buck what was going on. You knew how emotional your brother was, and you knew he wasn’t going to receive the news well. 

The door swung open immediately upon your soft knock. You were greeted with the smiling faces of Buck and Christopher. 

“Dad! Y/N!” Christopher shouted your names enthusiastically before Eddie wrapped him up in a hug. He pulled back and looked back and forth between his son and his best friend. 

“What are you two up to? You both look suspicious.”

“Nothing, Dad!” Christopher said. “We were just playing a video game.” Buck was nodding sagely behind him and you couldn’t help but crack a smile at the matching expressions on their faces. 

“If you say so,” Eddie said. He was also unable to keep the smile off of his face as he looked at his son. “Why don’t you go on ahead and finish up that game? We need to talk to your Buck here for a minute.”

Christopher instantly agreed, turning and walking back to the couch to keep playing. It was Buck’s turn to look back and forth between you and Eddie, trying to read the matching serious expressions on your faces. 

“Okay, who’s dying?” he joked, voice light. He was clearly freaked out and you knew it was his attempt at lightening the situation, but you still flinched slightly at his words. 

“Let’s just go sit down and talk, okay?” Eddie said. 

The three of you walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. You and Eddie faced Buck, and you could feel his leg jiggling up and down underneath the table. 

“Please tell me this is a good conversation and you’re pregnant or something. Is that why you’ve been acting so weird lately?” he asked you, voice desperate. “You’re pregnant?”

You shook your head and reached out, taking both of his hands in yours. “What I’m about to tell you isn’t going to be easy to hear, Evan. I need you to try not to freak out, okay?”

“Okay,” he whispered, gripping your hands even tighter. 

You took a deep breath and looked at Eddie. He nodded his head in encouragement and you turned, looking your twin brother dead in the eyes before speaking. “I have breast cancer.”

“Wh-what?” Buck stuttered. “No, I...that can’t be possible. You’re too young. This is some kind of joke, right? It has to be.”

“No, Ev, it’s very real.” You could see him starting to spiral and knew you needed to pull him back from the ledge. “Hey, I need you to look at me, please.” His eyes slowly raised and locked onto yours. 

“I’m sorry.” The words left his mouth as a whisper, almost as if he had choked on them. “I never should have made that stupid joke earlier. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” you said, shaking your head. “ _ I’m _ sorry. For sneaking around and lying to you for weeks. I didn’t want to tell anyone until I knew for sure, and I didn’t even know how to tell you anyway.” Knowing he was blaming himself, you tried to take some of that blame and place it on yourself where it rightfully belonged. You gave his hand a squeeze before continuing. “But listen, I’m going to need your help now. I am not strong enough to fight this alone, and you’re one of the strongest people I know.”

Tears started slipping rapidly down Buck’s cheeks. Your own tears were quick to follow, and Eddie placed his hand on your thigh. He was trying to comfort you without interrupting, and you shot him a grateful look. 

Buck took a deep breath and wiped some of the tears from his eyes. “What happens now? How are we fighting this?”

At his words a small smile broke through your tears. He was always looking forward, always ready to fix the problem he was facing down. It was one of your favorite qualities about him. 

“I have chemo treatments over the next couple months. Then, we test again to see if it worked and go from there.” You punctuated your words with a helpless shrug. 

“Okay, well, I’m going to all of your treatments with you.” Buck had a determined look on his face and you knew there was no arguing with him. 

You opened your mouth to reply but never got the chance. “Why is everyone sad?” a small voice spoke up from beside you. Turning, you saw Christopher standing behind Eddie. 

Eddie grabbed Christopher and pulled him gently onto his lap. “Well, buddy, Y/N is very sick. She was telling Buck for the first time and everyone's a little upset.”

“Sick?” Christopher looked at you with a concerned expression. “Is it like a tummy ache? If you take a nap, will it get better?”

His innocence was almost too much to bear, and you gave him a sad smile. “No, it’s not like a tummy ache. It’s much worse.”

“But you’ll get better, right? Daddy and Buck will make you better.” He reached out and patted your arm, sure that his words were the truth. 

“I hope so. But we don’t really know yet,” you sighed. 

Sensing this was very serious, Christopher wiggled off of Eddie’s lap and walked the two steps over to you. He wrapped his arms around you in a giant hug. Over his shoulder, you caught Buck’s eyes. 

“Don’t worry, Chris. We’re going to make sure she gets better.” The confidence in his voice was almost enough to convince even you. 

—

You winced as the needle slid into the tender part of your inner elbow. The nurse shot you an apologetic look as she taped the needle into place. She turned and began messing with the machines. You watched in fascination as the clear liquid that was meant to save your life slipped through the tube and into your arm. 

“How are you feeling? Are you doing okay?” The voice that was speaking from the chair beside you was rushed, almost frantic. 

“Yes, Evan,” you chuckled. “It literally just started. I’m fine.”

“Okay, I’m just making sure.” He leaned towards you, studying your face carefully. 

“If you’re going to stare at me for the next three hours I’m going to make you leave. It’s just creepy.” You raised your eyebrows at him in an unspoken challenge. 

Before he could respond, another voice piped up from the other side of the room. “You’re going to have to learn to relax a little bit if you’re going to be here, man. Your main purpose is to keep her company, not bother her. Your anxious energy is stressing  _ me _ out, I can’t imagine how your sister feels.”

You looked in the direction of the speaker and saw a teenage boy sitting three chairs down from yours. He was leaning back, head against the headrest, eyes closed. He couldn’t have been older than seventeen. 

“How did you know we were siblings?” Buck asked. You rolled your eyes at the fact that those were the first words to leave his mouth in response to the boy’s statement. 

“Classic sibling dynamic.” The boy’s eyes opened and he turned his head to look at the two of you. “You poke, she gets annoyed. I’m guessing close in age too. I’m Jayce, by the way. Leukemia.” He gestured to the tube sticking out of his own arm. “What are you in for?” 

“Breast cancer,” you replied. “Nice to meet you, Jayce. I’m Y/N, and this is Evan. And we’re twins, by the way.” 

“Ah, twins, definitely makes sense.” His eyes slipped shut again and he slouched down just slightly in his chair. “I promise I’m not trying to be rude and I’m sorry, but I’m just really exhausted,” he sighed. His breathing evened out and he was asleep in a matter of seconds. 

“Do you think that’s from the treatment?” Buck asked you. 

“I’m not sure,” you replied, feeling a slight pang of fear in your stomach. 

An hour passed uneventfully. Buck was still full of anxiety, his fingers drumming out a consistent beat on his knee. He had already texted Eddie seven times, and when he raised his phone to type out number eight you snatched it from his hand. 

“You have got to stop,” you scolded. “We have two hours left and Eddie will be at home when I get there. I can tell him all about how mundane this was in person, he doesn’t need you harassing him.” 

“I just don’t know what to do!” Buck threw his hands up, exasperated. “I’m not sure how to handle this. My sister is sitting in a chair getting pumped full of a drug that’s hopefully going to save her life, but could also do nothing but make her feel like shit. How do I react to that? I’m trying not to show you how scared I am but it’s not exactly working very well.”

“Hey, chill out for a second, would you? I know you’re scared, and that’s okay. I’m scared, too. But you know what you could do to help that? You could distract me.” You were trying to give him a purpose, to distract him from the emotion that was currently consuming him. 

He nodded his head and rubbed his hands together slowly. You could see the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure out an effective method of distraction. 

His head popped up suddenly, an excited look in his eyes. “Do you remember that game we made up when we were kids?” 

“Which one?” you asked. “We were quite the inventors of a good time when we were little.”

“You’re right. We did get pretty creative trying to pass the time.” He laughed. “I’m thinking of the one where one of us closes our eyes and the other tries to describe something in the room without using any adjectives.”

“I will only play that with you if we employ the dance rule.” You pointed at him and he broke out into a smile. 

“Deal. I’ll go first, close your eyes.” You complied and he looked around the room. “Okay, this object is attached to the wall.”

“The waterfall photo?” you guessed immediately. 

“No, it’s not hanging on the wall.” He gave a slight laugh and you frowned, knowing he was purposely making this difficult.

“If it’s not hanging on the wall then I don’t know what it could possibly be,” you huffed, already frustrated. You opened your eyes and glared at the smirk on his face. “Alright, what is it?”

“The paint.” His smirk grew at the outraged look on your face. 

“The  _ paint _ ? That’s ridiculous!” 

“But it is attached to the wall. Let’s see that dance.” He gestured towards you with an overly amused look on his face.

“Absolutely not. That was a stupid one, there was no way I possibly could’ve guessed that.” You crossed your arms, indignant. 

“Don’t make me play the older sibling card…” Buck trailed off and cocked his head at you. 

“Oh, my god. You’re older by literally five minutes, that’s it. That’s barely a card you can play.” You rolled your eyes at him and he laughed. He crossed his arms and leaned back, preparing to outwait you. 

Finally caving, you gave him what he so desperately wanted. You leaned forward slightly and crossed your arm back and forth in front of you in the classic disco dance move. 

Buck laughed and shook his head. “That was so half-assed, I shouldn’t even count it. But I will anyway.” He threw his hands up at the glare you shot him. 

You began taking turns guessing, the loser always having to participate in a dance of some sort. The clues grew more obscure and the dances more ridiculous until you were both practically in tears of laughter. Your antics were slowly gaining the attention of every person in the room. Even Jayce had woken up and asked to play. 

By the end of your three hours of treatment, the entire room was involved in the game. Buck was using the space in the middle of the circle of chairs as his own personal dance floor. You were laughing so hard that you were beginning to think that maybe chemo wouldn’t be so bad after all. 


	4. Chapter 4

You pulled into the parking spot next to Eddie’s truck and put your car in park. You grabbed three of the grocery bags from the backseat and headed into the station.

Buck came out from the weight room as you reached the bottom of the stairs. He reached out to take the bags from you but you pulled them away from him. “No, I got these. Can you go get the rest of them from my backseat?”

“Yeah, of course. Eddie is already upstairs.” He took three steps backwards before turning to go retrieve the bags.

You continued up to the kitchen and set the bags on the table. Spotting Eddie sitting on the couch, you walked over to sit beside him. You leaned in to kiss him softly.

“Hi,” he greeted with a smile.

“Hi.” You couldn’t help but laugh.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked.

You rolled your eyes and stood. “For the millionth time, I’m fine!” You walked back over to the kitchen and began pulling out pans and utensils to make lunch.

Buck came up the stairs and set the rest of your groceries on the table. He started pulling everything out and asked, “Do you want any of this cold stuff in the fridge?”

You shook your head. “No—“ A yawn caught you off guard. “No, it’ll all be fine until I’m ready for it.”

Eddie walked over to the island to stand next to Buck. “We told you you should’ve stayed at home to rest. Or at least let Bobby cook and you can just hang out.”

“Oh, my god.” You glared at both of them. “I am fine. I always come and make everyone lunch. There is no reason I can’t still do that for as long as I’m up to it.”

“You just had your second treatment yesterday,” Eddie said.

Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes for a moment. “Trust me, I’m very aware of that. I’m okay. And if all you are going to do is hover and give me those looks like I’m about to break… then, please, go somewhere else.”

They exchanged looks. Eddie walked around the island and pulled you into a hug. “We’re sorry. You can’t blame us for being a little worried,” he said as he pulled away.

Bobby came up the stairs then and looked at the groceries all over the table. “Y/N, how is it that you are such a good cook and Buck here can barely work a spatula?”

“I taught myself while Evan, here, was busy dating any girl he could.” You smirked as you ruffled your brother's hair.

Bobby laughed. “Well, if you need any help with lunch, let me know.”

“Thanks! I think the only help I need is these two out of my way.”

The bells rang, alerting them to a call. “Your wish is my command,” Bobby joked as they took off towards the trucks.

You got to work, preparing two large pans of lasagna and two pies. As you put the lasagna in the oven, you were hit with a wave of dizziness. You leaned on the counter and closed your eyes as it passed.

About an hour after they had left, the rigs were parked back in their rightful spots. You slid the pies in the oven as the crew made their way back upstairs. “That was a quick one,” you said, walking over to hug Eddie.

Buck looked around the kitchen. “Looks like it was just long enough for you to get everything in the oven.”

You nodded. “You’re right. Now, we can sit around like you wanted.”

You sat on the couch and they started sharing stories. They reminisced about their most ridiculous calls until you were all in tears of laughter.

Eventually, the timer sounded to alert you the lasagna was ready. You pulled one pan out, then the other. You set it on the counter just as you were hit with another, stronger wave of dizziness. You gripped the edge of the counter and waited a moment, hoping it would clear.

It didn’t clear this time and you started to feel nauseous as well. “Umm, Ev-Evan? Eddie—” you stuttered. You turned to see them both rushing toward you. Black spots invaded your vision and you felt one of them catch you when you started to fall.

“No, no, no. Open your eyes, Y/N, please,” was the last thing you heard.

~ General POV ~

Buck and Eddie were sitting in the ER waiting room. It had been just over an hour since she had been brought in.

“How long does it take to find out what’s going on?” Buck asked, wringing his hands together.

Eddie just stared ahead for a moment. He shook his head, “I don’t know. Too long.”

“I can’t lose her, Eddie.” Buck glanced over at his friend.

Eddie broke his stare to look over at Buck. “I know. I can’t either, but we can’t be thinking like we’re going to.”

Just then the doctor came out to find them. They stood quickly, both asking, “Is she okay?”

“She is,” the doctor started. “It was dehydration and exhaustion from pushing herself too hard. We are admitting her for the night to get her rehydrated. Most likely, she will be good to head home tomorrow.”

They both sighed a breath of relief. “Thank you. Can we see her?” Eddie asked what they both wanted to know.

“Yes, they’re moving her up to a room right now. You can see her as soon as they have her settled. It shouldn’t be more than half an hour.”

They both said their ‘thank yous’ as the doctor disappeared behind the same door he’d entered through.

A few minutes later the sliding doors leading outside swooshed as they opened. Neither of them bothered to see who was entering.

“Dad! Buck!” Christopher’s voice rang out.

Both men smiled as they turned to see him heading over.

“Christopher,” Eddie breathed out, as he hugged him. He glanced up to look at Carla.

She smiled sympathetically. “We wanted to be here for you guys.”

Buck stood and pulled Carla into a hug. “It’s good to see you.”

Five minutes later, a nurse came to show them up to Y/N’s room. They both wanted the nurse to walk faster so they could get to her sooner. When they reached the room they were slow to enter, both afraid of what they were about to see.

~ Reader POV ~

You heard the door open slowly. You didn’t bother to open your eyes, assuming it was just another in the long parade of nurses and doctors.

A chair was dragged across the tile before a hand grabbed yours. It was a hand you knew well and you opened your eyes to meet Eddie’s. They were bloodshot and puffy like he had been crying. “You scared the shit out of me,” he said.

You glanced behind him to see Buck in a similar state and nodding his agreement with Eddie.

“I’m sorry.” You squeezed Eddie’s hand. “I swear, I felt fine. Right up until about a minute before I passed out.”

Buck moved another chair around the bed to sit beside you and took your other hand in his. “This is why we asked you to take it easy. I know you want everything to be normal, but it’s not. Your body is fighting a war. You’re going to beat this, I know it. But you have to start taking it easy for a while.”

You nodded as you glanced between them. “Okay, but I’m still coming up for lunch at the 118 regularly.”

Eddie laughed and kissed the back of your hand. “I think that sounds like a plan. They all want to see you, too. Speaking of, you have a couple more visitors. Carla and Christopher are here if you’re up for it.”

You smiled. “Absolutely! A hug from Christopher sounds like just the medicine I need.”

Buck stood. “You stay with her. I’ll go get them.” Christopher came in a minute later with Carla and Buck trailing behind.

“Y/N!” he greeted.

“Hey, kiddo. Can I get a snuggle?” you asked him with your best pout.

“Yes.” He smiled. Eddie picked him up and set him carefully beside you. He wrapped his arms around your neck and squeezed.

“Thanks, buddy.” He cuddled his head against your shoulder and you kept him wrapped in your arms until you drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Slowly blinking your eyes open, you turned your head to look at the bed beside you. Eddie had his elbow on his pillow and his head rested against his palm. “Good morning, beautiful,” he whispered.

You smiled and rolled over to kiss him. “Good morning!”

“Waffles?” he asked, rolling out of bed and reaching his hand out for you to take. You tilted your head in confusion. “I can work a toaster. We have frozen waffles.”

You laughed. “That sounds perfect.” As you sat up to take Eddie’s hand, the smile dropped from his face. “What?”

He nodded towards your pillow. You turned to see two clumps of hair sitting there. Instantly, you ran your fingers through your hair, pulling them away to find another handful. Tears welled up in your eyes and Eddie was beside you again, pulling you into a hug.

“Shh, it’ll be okay. You still look beautiful.” He pulled back and wiped away your tears with his thumb. “I can shave my head, if that’ll make you feel better.”

“That’s sweet.” You chuckled and ran your hands through his hair. “Don’t you dare make this worse by taking your hair away from me, too.”

—

Eddie was getting ready for work. He was wandering around the apartment filling his duffel bag. “Are you sure about this?” he asked.

You raised an eyebrow in confusion. “About hanging out with Christopher today? Why wouldn't I be sure?”

“I mean, are you sure you feel okay?” he asked. “It’s not too late to have Carla come hang out with you guys.”

You stood and wrapped your arms around his neck. “I’m fantastic, and all we are doing is watching movies. I promise not to do anything more strenuous than that.” You leaned up to kiss him. “And besides, the station isn’t far away and neither is Carla. I’ll call if we need anything.”

He stared at you silently for a moment. “Alright, fine.” He said goodbye to Christopher and grabbed his bag to leave.

You gave him a hug and a kiss at the door and then turned around to face Christopher on the couch. “How about a  _ Mutant Ninja Turtles  _ marathon?” you asked.

He smiled. “Yeah!”

You made a big bowl of popcorn. Then, both of you got curled up on the couch and you started the movie. Within a few minutes, Christopher had explained Donatello was his favorite. After that, he was fully engrossed.

About an hour into the movie, Christopher looked over at you. You glanced over, meeting his eyes. “What’s up, kiddo?”

He broke into a big, bright smile and leaned over to hug you. “Love you, Y/N,” he said.

You hugged him back. “I love you, too. Thanks for hanging out with me today.”

—

Eddie was sitting on the couch at the station, listening to Hen talk about her dinner reservations for Karen. “Hey, Eddie, don’t you and Y/N have an anniversary coming up?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yeah. Tomorrow, actually.”

“What are you guys doing to celebrate?” Chim asked.

Eddie shook his head and glanced toward the floor. “Nothing, really. Probably order in Chinese and relax at home. Chemo has been kicking her ass this week. She probably won’t want to go out.”

“You don’t have to go out to do something special for her,” Hen said.

Chim added, “Yeah, a candlelight dinner goes a long way.”

Hen smiled and nodded. “Ooh, yes, and maybe a nice bubble bath.”

Buck shook his head. “Can we not talk about bubble baths and my sister, please?”

Everyone laughed.

“Hey, I could make you guys something special for dinner. If you want,” Bobby offered.

The next evening, Eddie had asked you to hang out in the bedroom because he had a surprise for you. You were excited to see what he was planning. He knocked on the door gently before pushing it open. “You ready?” he asked.

You nodded and stood from the bed. He took your hand and interlaced his fingers through yours. He led you into the kitchen where the table was set with a couple candles and a single red rose in a vase. There were also rose petals dusted around the plates. Tears welled up in your eyes at the sight. “Oh, my god. It’s beautiful.”

He smiled and leaned in to kiss you. “Happy Anniversary, corazón.”

“This is amazing. You are amazing.”

You both sat to eat. You shared favorite memories of your relationship, some of which had you in tears of laughter.

After dinner, he disappeared into the bathroom to run you a bath. The room was similarly filled with candles and rose petals. You soaked until your fingers started to get pruney. Finally, you curled up on the couch with Eddie and he turned on  _ Dirty Dancing _ .

You smiled as it started. “It’s been forever since I watched this.”

Eddie pressed a kiss to your temple. “Buck mentioned it was always a favorite when you were younger.”

You fell asleep less than halfway through the movie. You stirred when Eddie carried you to bed. “Thanks for tonight. I love you,” you mumbled, still half asleep.

“I love you, too, more than you know.”

—

You were on the couch, cocooned in a mountain of pillows and blankets. Eddie and Christopher were getting ready to go out for the day to give you some time alone with Buck.

First, Christopher stopped in front of you and leaned in to give you a big hug. Next, Eddie leaned over and gave you a kiss. As he pulled away, he ran his fingers down your cheek.

“We gotta go,” he said. ”We’re going to be late for our movie. Buck will be here any minute.”

“Okay. Have fun.”

He bent down and pressed a kiss to your forehead before heading out the door. You heard Buck greet them in the hallway on his way into the apartment.

“Hey, sis,” he said, sitting on the couch by your feet. “What do you want to do today? I was thinking we could go for a nice, long run.” He laughed as you rolled your eyes.

“Ha, ha, very funny.” You kicked your feet over his leg and tossed him the remote. “You’re picking the movie today.”

He scrolled through titles for a minute before starting  _ Monty Python and the Holy Grail. _ He set the remote aside then tossed the end of your blanket over your face. He laughed when you pouted at him.

You tried, unsuccessfully, to pinch his arm with your toes. “Ugh, I need a pedicure. It’s weird not having nail poilsh on.” You sighed.

Buck stood quickly and disappeared down the hall.

“Where are you going?” A moment later, you heard him opening cabinets in your bathroom. “What are you doing?”

He came back carrying your nail polish case. “Pick a color,” he said, setting the polish in front of you.

You gave him a sad smile. “I can’t paint my toenails, Ev.”

“Just pick a color.” He rolled his eyes.

You pulled out your favorite shade of blue and placed it in his waiting, outstretched hand. Next thing you knew, he was attempting to paint your toenails for you. You tried not to laugh every time he messed up a toe.

He finished and looked up at you with a goofy, proud smile. “Problem solved.”

You couldn’t contain your laugh any longer. “Uh, thanks, I think. Pretty sure there is more polish on my toes than the nails, but I appreciate your effort.”

—

You heard the front door open and close, followed by the sound of Eddie’s voice echoing through the apartment. The time on the clock on your bedside table read 5:32. He was home early. 

It was his day off and he had spent it with Buck. Your brother had decided he wanted to renovate his kitchen, which had quickly led Eddie to decide that he needed to help. Buck wasn’t exactly known for his skills with power tools, and you knew Eddie was concerned for his safety if he worked alone. 

Truth be told, you were grateful for the days of peace that their work provided you. You loved both men dearly, but their hovering was getting a little overwhelming. Having a couple days here and there that were silent, aside from the sound of your own breathing, was a blessing. You were a little over halfway done with your chemo treatments and they were kicking your butt. 

Some days, you could barely stand due to the nausea and dizziness. Other days you felt fine, as if nothing was happening. Thankfully, today was a good day physically. Your mental and emotional state, however, were not quite as strong.

You sat up in bed, pressing your fingers to your eyes while desperately hoping they weren’t too puffy. There was a gentle knock on the door before it opened and Eddie’s face was looking back at you. 

“Hey, Christopher said you weren’t feeling well.” He entered the room, closing the door softly behind him. “Why did you call Carla to pick him up from school? I could’ve just left Buck’s early.” He crossed the room and sat down beside you on the bed. 

“I didn’t want to interrupt you guys,” you said with a shrug. In truth, you had called Carla because you knew she would leave you alone. You hadn’t wanted Eddie home because you weren’t ready to talk yet. He wasn’t afraid to push and could see through you in about two seconds. That’s exactly what he was doing currently as he studied your face. There was no more hiding from him. 

“What’s going on?” His voice was soft, almost a whisper. The tears you had been crying all day resurfaced, slipping down your cheeks in their familiar pattern. 

“I’m so tired of crying.” You barked out a short, humorless laugh. Crying had always been your reaction to any sort of strong emotion, but since beginning chemotherapy it seemed that you were doing it at the drop of a hat. 

“Well, talk to me about what’s going on in that head of yours. Maybe we can get the tears to stop for a bit.” Eddie was looking at you so earnestly that it was almost too much to bear. You were certain that you didn’t deserve him. 

“I shaved my head,” you said, slowly nodding your head. “I shaved my head because my hair started falling out. Now, I wear a wig because I’m too vain to let go of something as simple as my hair. If I can’t let go of my hair, how am I supposed to let go of my ability to have children?” You choked on the last word, barely audible through your growing sobs. 

“Hang on, back up. Take a breath. You lost me there at the end. What are you talking about?” Eddie’s brows furrowed together, clearly confused. 

“I found out today that chemotherapy can affect my fertility. I could go into early menopause, or it could damage my eggs. Even if I do wind up pregnant, the chances of having a miscarriage are much higher. Do you understand what that means for me? For us? No babies. Not together, anyway.” Your chest was heaving with the force of your breaths. You were nearing hysterical, unable to process this newfound information. 

“Oh, Y/N.” Eddie’s voice dripped with sadness and sympathy. He placed his hand on your leg and squeezed. “We don’t know for sure this is something that’s going to happen. I know it’s all overwhelming and this is just one more layer piling on. We’re going to need to take this one step at a time here, okay? When this is all over, we’ll go see a fertility specialist and get this figured out. As much as I would love to have kids with you, I’m thankful to just have you. It’s enough for me to just have you here and healthy. So let’s just focus on that right now, alright? Let’s get you healthy before we worry about what comes after. One step at a time.”

You bit your lip and nodded as you processed his words. He was right, as per usual. You needed to tackle one problem at a time instead of staring at the giant mountain in front of you. If you ended up not being able to have children at the end of all of this, that was something you could figure out together. 

You took a deep breath, the tears finally beginning to slow. “I’m sorry,” you whispered. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for. It’s a lot to handle all at once. You’re doing so much better than I ever could. You’re the strongest person I know.” Eddie smiled before pulling you into his chest. 

You sat together for a while, completely wrapped up in each other. Eddie’s love and support were endless, and you still couldn’t believe you had gotten so lucky with him. 

After a fair amount of time had passed, Eddie pulled back and looked at you. “Are you hungry? I can order a pizza, I’m sure our boy is starving out there.” He pointed towards the bedroom door and the living room beyond it.

You smiled and nodded, moving to get up off the bed. Before you could stand, Eddie pulled you closer one more time and pressed a kiss to your lips. “I love you,” he said softly. 

“I love you, too,” you replied. “And thank you.”

Sitting on the couch later that night with your feet jammed under Eddie’s leg and Christopher snuggled against you, you smiled. It was there that you realized that if your family stayed just like this for the rest of your life, you would still be the luckiest person in the world. 


	6. Chapter 6

It had been twelve days since your final chemo treatment. You were still feeling the effects, though they had started to improve slightly over the last two days. Exhausted, you laid in bed wide awake. The next morning you had an appointment to go over your test results to see if the chemo had worked.

Eddie came into the bedroom and got into bed beside you. He pulled you over to rest your head on his chest and wrapped his arms around you. “Are you ready for tomorrow?” he asked.

You took a deep breath as you moved your hand to grip a fistful of his shirt. “Nope. Not at all. I’ll be surprised if I actually get any sleep.”

He squeezed you just a little tighter. “It’ll be okay. No matter what the tests say, we'll get through it.”

Eddie started to run his hand up and down your back. Eventually, you managed to fall asleep.

—

The next morning as you got ready to leave, you felt your fear and worry start to grow out of control. Next thing you knew, you were sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed. Your arms were wrapped around your legs as you curled up as tight as possible. You started to feel light-headed as you realized you were hyperventilating.

“Are you almost—” Eddie started to ask before he appeared in the doorway. “Y/N? What happened?” He was beside you a moment later.

“W-what i-if it d-didn’t do any-anything?” You stuttered out between gasps.

“Then we will deal with it, together.” He placed both hands on your cheeks to force you to meet his eyes. “You have to breathe. Take a deep breath.” He took a few deep breaths for you to follow.

It took a few moments but you managed to calm down some and get your breathing under control.

“That’s better,” he said. He stood and helped you up. “Either way, we have to know.”

You nodded. “You’re right. I think I’m ready to go.”

Half an hour later, you were sitting in front of Dr. Alexander, trying to read the expression on her face.

Your knee was bouncing with your nerves until Eddie reached over to gently squeeze your thigh.

Finally, Dr. Alexander broke into a small smile as she pulled out the scans. “There are still cancer markers in your blood work, but the tumor itself is gone.”

You released the breath you were holding. “Okay, so what now?”

“Now, we take this as a win. We will redo the scans and blood work in six months to make sure the tumor doesn’t grow back,” she explained.

“Okay,” you said as you glanced over to Eddie. He looked relieved. Once again, you felt a little like you might be dreaming.

You left the office and Eddie drove you home. After closing the door to the apartment, Eddie turned to face you. He grabbed your shoulders and studied your face for a moment. “Are you okay?” he asked.

You nodded. Suddenly, all the emotions from the day hit you like a freight train. Tears welled up in your eyes and you slumped over against Eddie. “The tumor is gone,” you mumbled, repeatedly.

“Yeah, you’re kicking cancer in the ass.” He chuckled as he held you. He slowly moved the two of you over to sit on the couch.

You lost track of how long you sat there. Eventually, the tears turned to small sniffles and your eyelids started to feel heavy.

“We have to call Evan and tell him,” you mumbled, already half asleep.

Eddie kissed the top of your head. “I texted him earlier. You can call him later. Get some sleep.”

—

“Y/N?” Your head shot up as you heard your name called across the waiting room of the doctor’s office. 

“You ready?” Eddie asked. He grabbed your hand and gave it a squeeze. 

You looked at him and smiled, nodding your head. Hand-in-hand, the two of you walked across the waiting room and met the nurse at the door. 

“Six month checkup, right? How are you feeling?” the nurse asked. She was leading you down a long hallway towards the exam room you had grown extremely familiar with. 

“Nervous,” you laughed in response. “But other than that, I feel pretty great overall. Let’s hope that’s a good sign.”

You stopped in front of the door to exam room three. The nurse opened it and gestured for you and Eddie to step inside. “Dr. Alexander should be with you shortly,” she said. She exited the room after shooting you one more kind smile. 

You hopped up onto the exam table and wiggled around, trying to get comfortable. “I hate this paper they put on these things. All it does is stick to your legs, it’s so annoying.” You punctuated your statement with an eye roll. 

Eddie dragged over a chair from the corner of the small room and sat down beside you. He reached up and tapped your knee gently, trying to get your attention focused back on him. You looked at him and raised one eyebrow expectantly, knowing he had something on his mind. 

“I just need you to know that whatever the doctor says, it’s going to be okay. Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together, alright?” 

“Okay,” you said with a smile. You placed your hand on top of his where it was resting on your knee. “I love you.”

“Love you, more,” he replied with a wink. 

The door to the exam room opened and Dr. Alexander stepped inside. “Good morning, Y/N,” she said in a bright voice. “And Eddie, it’s good to see you again.” She stuck out her hand and Eddie shook it. 

“You, too,” Eddie said. 

She turned her attention back to you. “Are you ready to go over these results?” She held up your file and you nodded hesitantly. 

You had been in the day before in order for the doctor to do some scans and blood work. The hope was that your tumor hadn’t returned after the conclusion of your chemotherapy treatments. This would mean you were in the clear for another six months. 

“So,” she stated, pulling a photo of your scan out of the file. “I have some good news for you. I see no tumors on this scan, which means your tumor did not return. There are also no more cancer markers in your blood work. We can officially say that you’ve entered remission.”

You stared down at the photo of your scan in shock. Eddie gently shook your leg, effectively snapping you out of your trance. You looked up at Dr. Alexander, mouth hanging slightly open. “Are you serious?” you whispered, slightly breathless. 

She laughed and nodded her head. “Very serious. You won’t be in full remission until you’ve been tumor free for five years, but this is a wonderful start. It’s a big deal.”

“Thank you,” you said. You stood from the exam table and engulfed Dr. Alexander in a hug.

“You’re very welcome,” she said, tone warm. “I’ll see you in six months for, hopefully, another clear scan. Enjoy your freedom, Y/N.”

You turned to Eddie and beamed at him. “You hear that, babe? I’m free.”

—

You walked out of the building and began laughing as soon as the sunshine touched your skin. Throwing your arms out on either side of you, you spun around, laughing hysterically. “I’m in remission!” you shouted. You were so happy that you could not have cared less who heard you. 

Eddie came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, squeezing you tight. You turned around to face him and found him smiling down at you warmly. 

“You did it,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against yours. “I am so incredibly proud of you. You fought for your life and came out on the other side. I knew you could do it.”

You leaned up and kissed him hard, trying to convey to him all the emotions you were feeling in that moment. “I’m so happy,” you sighed. “Oh, my gosh! I have to tell Evan!”

“You have to tell Evan what?” asked a familiar voice from behind you. You detangled yourself from Eddie and spun around, coming face to face with your brother. He had a sheepish look on his face and shrugged. “I know you said you’d call but I couldn’t wait.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” You reached out and took both of his hands in yours before continuing. “Brace yourself, because… I’m in remission!”

“Yes!” he shouted, yanking you forward and into a giant hug. 

He released you and you stumbled backwards, laughing once again. The joy that was radiating from the three of you was contagious, and anyone passing by on the street would have been infected.

Eddie stepped forward and wrapped one arm around your waist. You smiled up at him and rested your head on his shoulder before directing your attention back to Buck. 

“So does this mean we can go hiking again?” he asked, eagerly. 

You and Eddie both chuckled and shook your heads at him. “Not quite yet,” Eddie replied. “We’re still taking things one step at a time. She can just walk a little faster now.”

—

It had been a week since finding out you were in remission. You were still in complete bliss. Nothing could spoil your mood.

You pulled into the parking lot at the station and hopped out of your car. Buck and Eddie had insisted you needed to visit today. You pulled out your phone to see no new messages. It was odd that neither had replied after you had texted them both when you left the apartment.

Before you made it into the station, Eddie appeared in front of you. You gave him a quick hug. “You couldn’t wait until I got inside?” you teased.

He pulled a blindfold out of his back pocket. “No, I could not.” He moved behind you and tied the blindfold in place before leading you inside.

“What’s going on?” you asked as he led you carefully up the steps. You stumbled forward slightly on the last step and a different set of hands righted you from the front. 

Your blindfold was removed and you came face to face with Buck. He, along with the rest of the 118 and their families, shouted, “Surprise!”

“Are you guys serious?” You spun around to face Eddie who was grinning at you.

“Happy remission party,” he said softly. 

“You did not have to do all of this for me.” You pulled him into another hug and felt him squeeze you tight. 

“Of course we did.” He pulled back and looked at you. “You’re a warrior and you won your battle. You deserve it.” You shook your head at him in disbelief before turning to face everyone else. 

“You are the worst secret keeper. I can’t believe you pulled this off,” you laughed as you pulled Buck into a hug. 

He laughed in response and you headed off to thank everyone else in attendance. They all greeted you warmly with hugs and sentiments of congratulations. 

When you reached the last person in the group you crouched down and held your arms open. Christopher walked straight into them and enveloped you in the biggest bear hug he could manage. 

“I told you Dad and Buck would make you better,” he said. 

“You know, you helped, too. I couldn’t have done it without you,” you replied. “Now, are you ready to dance?”

Christopher smiled and nodded his head. The music clicked on and Eddie walked over to join you. Along with the rest of the 118, the three of you spent the rest of the night dancing, laughing, and celebrating your renewed health. 

You looked around at everyone that came to celebrate with you. The amount of love was almost overwhelming. Your vision blurred slightly from the unshed tears in your eyes.

Buck noticed you holding back tears. “Hey, what’s that about?”

“They’re happy tears, I promise.” You smiled. “Just feeling really, damn, lucky.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Make sure you check out my co-writer for this series, spnirwin, on tumblr!!


End file.
